


you can hear it in the silence

by selenedaydreams



Category: Fantastic Four (2015)
Genre: M/M, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 01:25:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4587759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selenedaydreams/pseuds/selenedaydreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’re my best friend, you know that, right?”</p><p>It’s past midnight and Reed’s voice sounds tired when those words spill from his lips but there’s a passion behind them that both excites and terrifies Ben because he knows exactly what Reed is trying to say.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you can hear it in the silence

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly didn't expect to come out of this movie shipping these two, especially since I've been a hardcore Sue/Reed shipper for years, but that movie just had so much context for Ben and Reed that I couldn't ignore it. I'm a sucker for tragic relationships.
> 
> (title from Taylor Swift's 'You're in Love,' which kinda inspired this fic)

Sometimes he wonders what would have happened if he would have never befriended Reed. If he would have just told him to leave that night and hadn’t helped him haul scraps of machine parts to his garage. Would he still be cleaning up blood from his bathroom floor while his best friend tries not to fidget from where he’s seated on the edge of the tub?

“I’m sorry.”

“You’ve said that already.”

Ben’s not mad, at least not at Reed, because he knows he tries to avoid any type of confrontation so this was definitely not his doing. Hell, he didn’t even try to fight back and Ben has yet to decide if he’s proud of him for being the bigger person or disappointed that he hadn’t knocked someone’s teeth out.

“Thank you.”

There’s nothing he can about the black eye other than replace the melting bag of frozen peas Reed’s holding to his face but at least he managed to clean up the cut on his cheek and get his busted lip to stop bleeding.

“Why’d he hit anyway?”

He hadn’t asked at first, more concerned with cleaning him up than questioning him but this seemed like a good time as any.

Reed’s fingers start playing with the hem of his shirt, a nervous tick Ben had figured out a long time ago, although he’s not sure why he’s nervous over a simple question.

“Reed-”

“Because they think I like guys.”

Yeah, that was a curveball. Usually people picked on Reed because he was the literal walking and breathing definition of a nerd or because he had the highest GPA in the whole school.

“Do you?”

He only realizes that maybe that question was a bit insensitive when Reed refuses to meet his gaze and keeps tearing at random string on his shirt.

“Reed,” Ben kneels down in front of him so they’re at eye level again and puts a reassuring hand on his knee, “it’s okay if you do.”

When Reed finally looks up at him, there’s a mixture of hope and disbelief in his eyes and Ben reaches for his free hand in hopes that it translates into a gesture of reassurance.

“We’re still friends, right?”

Ben breaks out into a grin in response. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

 

\---

 

They’re walking back from school when it first happens: Reed’s hand accidentally brushes against his and Ben grabs it without thinking.

When Reed let’s go he’ll pretend it was just a reflex reaction and everything will be okay.

Expect that Reed doesn’t pull away, he continues walking and the only indication that he even noticed is the small stutter in his speech.

So he has noticed.

He has noticed as has made the conscious decision _not_ to pull away.

“Ben, are you listening?”

“What?” No, he hasn’t been listening, he’s been a little busy trying to understand what had happened in the past couple of second but apparently that didn’t seem to matter to Reed so maybe it shouldn’t matter to him either. “Yeah, I’m listen. Our science project could create a black hole and kill us all, I got it.”

He doesn’t seem convinced so Ben laces their fingers together and somehow that does the trick because Reed almost immediately launches into another rant.

 

\---

 

Their first kiss is a dare.

Ben still can’t believe their first kiss happens on a fucking dare.

It’s Friday night and he’s sleeping over at Reed’s house, nothing new there, and Reed had the brilliant idea that they should play truth or dare despite the fact that Ben had gently reminded him that it takes more than two people to properly play it.

Reed insists though, telling him about this website he found that randomly gives out questions and dares and makes it possible for just two people to play and really, how can Ben argue with that.

The first couple of times neither of them is brave enough to click the dare button so they go through stupid questions like ‘which celebrity would you like to have dinner with?’ (there’s nothing shocking about Reed wanting to dine with Bill Nye) and ‘what color underwear are you wearing?’ (Ben’s not sure Spiderman print is a color so he answers red).

It’s almost half an hour later that Ben finds the courage to press the dare button and immediately regrets it.

The question is staring at him in bold, red letters and he can physically feel the world around him tense: ‘kiss the person closest to you,’ it reads.

“We can skip it if you want.” Reed finally says and Ben wonders if he’s imagining the disappointment in his voice.

“You said we can’t skip any.”

“Well, yeah, but-”

Ben doesn’t let him finish, can’t let him finish because if he does Reed will probably give him a good enough reason not to do something stupid like kiss his best friend on a dare because it could be his one and only chance to do it.

It’s messy and awkward and Reed’s glasses were made for a lot of things but kissing wasn’t one of them because they dig into his skin but he really doesn’t care because Reed’s kissing him back and that’s all that matters.

 

\---

 

When they first started their sleepover, Ben used to sleep on the floor.

One day he had brought a mattress pad over, one Reed keeps stashed in his closet, and that’s how the Richard’s residence became his second home.

After a while though, he moved from sleeping on the floor to sleeping next to Reed, and Ben’s still not quite sure how it happened. Not that he’s complaining.

It’s the middle of April, so there’s no sheets to get tangled in, something Ben’s endlessly grateful for. They’re graduating in a month and that’s all they’re been able to think about (other than next week’s science fair, of course).

“You’re my best friend, you know that, right?”

It’s past midnight and Reed’s voice sounds tired when those words spill from his lips but there’s a passion behind them that both excites and terrifies Ben because he knows _exactly_ what Reed is trying to say.

Ben turns towards him, moving closer in the process. He reaches for one of Reed’s hands and brings it to his lips, kissing his knuckles before looking up at him through his lashes.

“You’ve always been my best friend.”

It’s a confession and a reassurance all at once and it’s only when Reed kisses him that he realizes just how desperately he needed to hear those words.

 

\---

 

The first time is almost as awkward as their first kiss.

 _Almost_.

Except its pretty perfect in Ben’s book because Reed’s spread out naked under him on his bed and it’s the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen even though Reed keep trying to cover himself with the nearby sheets.

There’s a few awkward moments: Reed’s not sure what to do with his hands, Ben’s lousy attempt at a blowjob turns into a handjob when realizes he’s better with his hands than his mouth (go figure), and Reed will definitely have to be discreet about washing these sheets because there’s at least three large not so mysterious stains on them.

They kiss afterwards and Ben’s still can’t keep his hands off Reed because it finally sinks in just how real this is.

After all this time Ben’s still amazed by the fact that Reed is _his_. His best friend, his boyfriend, his everything, honestly.

 

\---

 

_‘Sometimes when you love something you have to let it go.’_

He thinks about that every time he drives downtown to Reed’s college because there’s nothing that sums up their relationship more than that quote.

Reed disagrees, tells him that if he wanted to he could apply for next semester and that he could belong there too, if he wanted.

 Except, he’s not the college type, never has been, he likes working in the junk yard. It’s a decent living, or so he convinces himself.

Either way, he doesn’t have money for college, especially not the one Reed’s attending (on a full scholarship, no less).

Reed silences those thoughts with a kiss when he meets him in the parking lot outside his dorm building.

They run into Johnny on the way to Reed’s room and he gives them a thumbs up and an enthusiastic ‘get it,’ which only compels Reed to drag him inside the room faster and pin him against the door.

It’s never been difficult to get lost in Reed.

“I wish I could wake up like this every morning.”

Ben took today off, promised Reed they could spend the whole day together doing whatever he wanted (which apparently wouldn’t even get them out of bed).

He knows it’s not meant to be a jab but it feels like one, feels like Reed’s still trying to get him to apply and Ben would rather repeat last night’s events rather than talk about this again.

“When you graduate we can get an apartment together.”

He’s not sure why he says it but he means it so he doesn’t try to take it back.

Reed looks at him with the same expression of hope and disbelief he saw the very first time started this and Ben leans into kiss him, wiping away any traces of apprehension with his lips and making sure that Reed knows that he _really_ means it.

“I love you.”

They’ve said it a few times: a broken admission in the midst of passion, a hasty kind of goodbye, but it’s never meant as much as it means now and Ben kisses him harder in response, pushing him down on the bed and climbing on top of him in the process.

“I love you so fucking much, Reed.”

Those words sound more desperate than he initially meant but when Reed drags him down and kisses him with the same raw desperation he relaxes against him once again.

They’ll be okay.

In four years, maybe less, they’ll have an apartment of their own and Reed will be taking over the world one spacecraft at a time. Maybe he’ll open up his own machine shop and start his own business.

Either way, Reed kisses him a promise that everything will be okay and Ben believes him because Reed is the only person in the world who has never done him wrong.

**Author's Note:**

> hmu on tumblr where I'm remylebevu.


End file.
